Fire rescues prepare for trouble

Bonners Ferry was the hub of a training exercise that simulated a radiological disaster on Friday.

Hazardous Materials Emergency Region One Response teams set up a mobile command center in the parking lot next to the city of Bonners Ferry Fire Department.

The regional team is made up of fire rescue members from Kootenai County, Sandpoint, Coeur d’ Alene, Northern Lakes and Bonners Ferry. Also present was Boundary County emergency management incident commander Bob Graham.

Teams went through the exact process they would do in a real emergency of this magnitude.  They had a radiation decontamination station also set up.

 Also participating in the drill was the  101st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support team made up of Army and Air National Guard active duty members.

“We had a couple of majors, captains, lieutenants and sergeants and 15 members of that team along with several million dollars of state of the art equipment,” said City of Bonners Ferry Fire Chief Pat Warkentin.

According to Warkentin this was the first time a drill like this was held in Bonners Ferry. The Hazmat teams pick locations around the northern counties each year and it was Bonners Ferry’s turn.

The members of the 101st WMD told Warkentin the drill went exactly as it should have and they were very pleased with its outcome.